From Wheat to Straw 1946

Jacques Villon’s painting, “From Wheat to Straw,” really messes with your head in the best way! He’s not giving us a picture, he's giving us a process of seeing. Look at how Villon handles the paint. It’s not about hiding the strokes; it's about laying down these chunky, almost geometric shapes of colour. The greens and blues feel like they're breathing, pushing forward and receding all at once. It's all surface. The colour is transparent in some instances and opaque in others. There is a real physical sense of engagement from the artist to the canvas. Take a look at the orange slither of paint in the lower left of the canvas. How does this inform the piece as a whole? Villon's a bit like his pal Picasso, always playing with perspective. It’s like he’s saying, why settle for one way of seeing when you can have a dozen? This kind of thinking is similar to what Braque was up to, too. It's all about opening up possibilities.